President Biden Upends the GOP Narrative

How he got the job done

Credit: Getty Images

It’s difficult to tell who was more surprised by President Biden’s State of the Union performance Thursday night: Democrats in the chamber, whose emotions ranged from relieved to almost giddy. Or Republicans, who have been selling the president as doddering, decrepit, and unfit, watching that narrative evaporate. In what was perhaps the most important speech of his political career, Biden showed he was not just alive and well, but up to the challenge of a second term.

Sure, the health of either candidate could change, but for at least this political moment, President Biden came across as hale, fit, and ready. 

For those watching at home, it was a chance to counter an image perpetrated by Republicans and many in the media that the president is not mentally or physically qualified for a second term. For those who hadn’t seen Biden speak in a while, or only on social media clips designed to make him look old, it was a first-rate oration, in both tone and substance. 

For the 60-plus minute speech, Biden was focused, sharp, energetic, and at times funny. He was even willing to engage Republicans who heckled him — a moment he handled deftly, despite being nudged off script. House Speaker Mike Johnson had privately asked for decorum from his colleagues. He didn’t get it. Instead, several Republicans verbally taunted the president, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who showed up in Trump campaign garb. 

At the beginning of the speech, when the television audience was at its largest, Biden took dead aim at his opponent without ever mentioning his name. He hammered home what a second Trump administration would mean to democracy.  

“My purpose tonight is to wake up the Congress and alert the American people that this is no ordinary moment either. Not since President Lincoln and the Civil War have freedom and democracy been under assault at home as they are today.” 

Biden also called out his opponent for cozying up to the Russians. 

“Wasn’t long ago when a Republican president named Ronald Reagan thundered, ‘Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.’ Now … now my predecessor, a former Republican president, tells Putin, quote, ‘Do whatever the hell you want.’ That’s a quote. A former president actually said that, bowing down to a Russian leader. I think it’s outrageous, it’s dangerous, and it’s unacceptable.”

You know what else many people found to be outrageous? The reaction of Republicans who sat on their hands when Biden spoke those words. Or maybe you think it’s not that surprising. 

There is no doubt this was a campaign speech wrapped up as a State of the Union address. Biden was criticized by the right for politicizing it. But as we have written before, we are living in a time when nearly everything seems political.

Biden is a natural, highly experienced campaigner, and he seemed to revel in the moment. And the public responded. The president’s campaign reported the speech accounted for the largest fundraising haul since Biden declared he was running for reelection.

“I know I may not look like it, but I’ve been around a while. And when you get to my age, certain things become clearer than ever before. My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy. A future based on the core values that have defined America: Honesty. Decency. Dignity. Equality. To respect everyone. To give everyone a fair shot. To give hate no safe harbor." 

A post-speech flash poll by CNN found a sizable shift in the electorate. After the address, 62 percent of people polled said Biden’s policies will move the country in the right direction. Prior to the speech, that number was just 45 percent.

A caveat, please: I have watched at least the last 60 State of the Union addresses. Their impact on the public consciousness is often short-lived. How this will apply to the oldest presidential candidate in history defying expectations, we shall see. 

On Friday, Biden was back on the campaign trail in Pennsylvania with more positive economic news to emphasize. The U.S. added 275,000 jobs in February. The Biden campaign, which has a lot more cash on hand than Trump, announced a big ad buy, $30 million, in swing states.

Speaking of money, today, Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of the former president, was elected co-chair of the Republican National Committee. The former president, who currently owes almost half a billion dollars in legal judgments and more in ensuing legal fees, has been using donor money from the RNC to pay his battalion of lawyers. On Friday, Trump posted a $91.6 million bond to appeal the judgment in the case of E. Jean Carroll, the woman he was found to have sexually abused and then defamed.

With that in mind, one line from last night’s speech seemed to be meant for an audience of one. “You can’t love your country only when you win.”

Democrats would love for this president to earn the title “Fighting Joe Biden.” To fully earn that he must come from behind and win in November. 

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